


An Unlikely Hero

by panotaku95



Series: Klance Positivity Month 2017 [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, I just feel so connected with him, I think you'll be able to tell but the POV is either Keith or Lance, I will protect him with my life, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Just a heads up!, Klance Positivity Month 2017, Lance is my son, POV Alternating, you know?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 01:58:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11243982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panotaku95/pseuds/panotaku95
Summary: Ever since Beta Traz Lance has been acting strangely. Keith knows it. Lance knows it. But whatever it is that's bringing the blue paladin down is crucial to Voltron's success. Things could either go incredibly well...or horribly, horribly wrong.Week Four Theme: Empowerment





	1. Checked Out

**Author's Note:**

> I'M SO SORRY THIS IS LATE FOR EMPOWERMENT WEEK! I've been obsessed with reading "Ignorance is Bliss" by @YouAreInAComaWakeUp (Nikanaiko). If you haven't read it yet, you totally should. It was amazing and me laugh and cry, but mostly cry. Anyway, back to my story now. Lol. Enjoy you crazy kids!
> 
> Also I realize that this chapter doesn't scream "empowerment" but just hold on tight because I do have more where this came from. I'll eventually post it, so have no fear! Let me know what you think of the fic! Love to you all! <3

It's no secret that something has been bothering the blue paladin lately. Ever since his return from Beta Traz, he's been...out of sorts. Not that Keith spends a great deal of time paying attention to the emotional well-being of Lance, or any of his teammates for that matter. He doesn't. But for some reason, Lance not being a total pain in the ass and egging him into some stupid contest or whatever is rubbing him the wrong way. Which it shouldn't, right? Because this was what he wanted from the very beginning. He shivers with the realization that he'd gotten used to Lance's antics. In a way, he sort of misses it. 

 

Recently, Lance has been utterly quiet. He doesn't chime in when there's a lull in one of the morning meetings. He wakes up, goes through his day, and goes to bed without talking to anyone on the team, even Hunk! And worst of all, he doesn't even look at Keith anymore. Not with the soft eyes the red paladin had grown accustomed to being greeted with. It was like Lance's body returned, but his soul remained in the Galra prison. He just couldn't figure out what it was that was bothering him so much. And he desperately wanted to. 

 

Lance was the only person who didn't treat him any differently when he divulged that he was part-Galra. No stupid "Galra Keith" jokes like Hunk gave him or glares like from Allura. He didn't walk on eggshells like Shiro did and he didn't try to analyze his DNA every five seconds like Pidge was inclined to do "for science and shit". Just the same old Lance that Keith was getting used to seeing, living in space with the others with no outside interaction with other humans. Keith didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't nonchalance. Apparently this new information didn't phase Lance at all. The red paladin appreciated it, however, despite how different it was than what he was anticipating. 

 

Keith doesn't know how to just act normal around Lance now, though, or if that was even what he should do. They were close, much closer than they were in the beginning, but were they close enough for him to ask questions? He hates seeing Lance like this; his heart hurts just watching the boy move mechanically through his days. But he doesn't want to pry. He figures that if Lance wanted to talk about it, he would. Usually the guy would never shut up about stuff, right? 

 

After ten days had passed since rescuing Slav, Keith just couldn't take it anymore. He wonders why no one else is freaking out about this as much as he is. Maybe they all were just reveling in the peace and quiet that a silent Lance brought about. The thought makes his stomach churn uncomfortably. _That's not how it should be,_ he thinks to himself. _This all feels so wrong_. Aside from the blue paladin's laconism, the galaxies seem to be pretty stable, too. They haven't had any run-in's with the Galra or had to respond to a distressed planet. The peaceful break is out of the ordinary and Keith wonders when the next strike is going to happen, most likely when they least expect it. 

 

Keith is laying in his bed, reading the only book he had on his person when they galivanted into space. It was a tiny paperback that fit nicely in the breast pocket of his jacket; a field manual for fighter pilots that Keith had taken with him from the Garrison. He's read this book a thousand times it seems like he can memorize the whole thing if he wanted to. But it's the only Earth object he has so he revisits it every once and while. As he's reading, he hears a siren go off. The all too familiar, "Paladins get to your lions. This is an emergency situation," plays overhead, Allura's voice strained but not any less regal than usual. He closes his book, shoves it into his pocket, and races off to the lion's hangars. He changes in record time and soon enough he's in the dead of space with Red, surrounded by the other lions. He notices Lance is lagging behind, but he doesn't mention it. 

 

From the corner of his eye, Keith sees a silver planet below. He flies down closer. He doesn't know what it usually looks like but at this current moment the entire planet looks like it's about to explode. There's a thick grey sludge that is oozing up from cracks in the planet's surface, bubbling as it spreads across the land creating a new hardened exterior. That's when he notes the bright purple beam cascading out from the center of the planet. He follows the light up to it's source and is gifted with the sight of a huge Galra ship. Not as big as Zarkon's but it still can pose a serious threat. And clearly they have Druids on board if they can suck the quintessance out of this planet. 

 

"Paladins, this planet is called Fadaka. On our maps it looks as if the planet is uninhabited, but it would be best to get a closer look and see if an evacuation is in order. The Fadakan's used to be allies when my father was ruling Altea," Allura shares. There's a hint of sadness in her voice, probably because she's witnessing a planet die in front of her with no means to stop it. 

 

Several beats pass and Keith realizes that Allura has nothing left to say. Apparently Shiro catches on to this too because within seconds his voice is booming over the comms. "Okay team. Our main priority is taking out the Galra ship. In the mean time, Allura and Coran will try to find a spot on the surface they can land in order to evacuate any Fardakan's still down there." 

 

"My scans indicate that there are at least 50 life forms down below so the need for an evac is definitely there," Pidge joins in, adjusting their glasses. 

 

"Great. Now that we all know what we're doing, let's move out!" 

 

A symphony of okays and alrights and let's do this ring out. All but one voice, of course. Lance is still silent. Nonetheless he flies Blue to the Galra ship with the rest of the team, an act that brings some comfort to Keith. 

 

But the comfort didn't last long. 

 

**** 

 

Ever since he returned from Beta Traz, Lance has been in the worst mood. If his mom could see him now she would pinch his cheeks and say, "Mijo! Snap out of it. There are so many things to smile about today." This image brings a sad smile to Lance's face, as most memories of his family seem to do. But he can't help it. He's in a serious funk and he's not sure what to do about it. 

 

When he was escaping the prison with Laika (or who he thought was Slav) his nervousness spilled out a bit. He was confident in his abilities but the silence in the building was eery. Lance filled the quiet with droves of compliments about his companions, the team he was so damn proud of. That's when he realized that he lacked what made each paladin unique. He didn't have a "thing" like the others. 

 

Since his return, it's all he's been able to think about. _They wouldn't keep me around if I was useless, right? There's gotta be something I can provide to the team._ Aside from his stealth and his long-range attacks, he really hasn't accomplished much. It was almost a waste that he was the most bonded paladin because he couldn't use Blue to her full advantage and he knew it. 

 

Lance is ashamed of himself. He shouldn't doubt his friends. But he also feels the lightness in the air now that he isn't talking for the sake of talking or jesting about the latest thing he's found hysterical. The rest of the team seem glad that he's silent. So he keeps it up. For days. Over a week. It's quiet, too quiet, but he's afraid to shatter the pseudo-calm that's taken over the castle. 

 

The only person who doesn't look at him as if his silence is the greatest gift to the world is Keith. No, the red paladin just stares at him in confusion. He doesn't talk to Lance anymore, just knits his brows every time their eyes lock. It hurts Lance each instance and he knows he's being stupid but he can't bring himself to face Keith. Soon he stops searching for those violet eyes that brought him so much peace before. If Keith knew how much of a coward he was, he'd never want to talk to him again. 

 

It's been about ten days since he, Shiro, and Pidge rescued Slav. Lance is sitting at the small desk in his room. It's dark save for the small lamp perched beside him. He's writing in his journal, something he found at the space mall that he convinced the "Area 51" shop owner to give him along with Kaltenecker. In this journal he writes down all his worries and insecurities. His counselor back in middle school told him that it's good to get the thoughts in his head down on paper. He scoffed back then at how ridiculous it was but found comfort in it now. He keeps returning to his conversation with the Yupper, writing the same phrase over and over again. _I'm just a fifth wheel. I'm just a fifth wheel. I'm just a fifth wheel._ In the midst of his cathartic self-deprecation, he hears a siren followed by Allura's voice. "Paladins get to your lions. This is an emergency situation!" Lance closes his journal and slides his chair back. He stands and walks over to his bedroom door, body heavy and a long sigh escaping his lips. 

 

After changing, he leads Blue out of the castle and meets up with the others. He doesn't put himself in the center of attention and doesn't make any suggestions to the plan. He just goes with the flow. _The sooner this is over the sooner I can go to bed,_ he thinks to himself. For some reason it feels like Keith and Red are looking at him with pity but he tries to ignore it. 

 

Allura chimes in through his melancholy, explaining that the planet is called Fadaka or something like that. He's only paying attention to what he has to do, which is take down the Galra ship. When Shiro gives the order to move out, he doesn't respond, but joins the group anyway. 

 

He could have never prepared himself for what was to come.


	2. A Sudden Divergence

He doesn't know why, but Lance has a feeling that something is off with this mission. For one, the Galra have never needed a craft so large for a simple quintessence raid. And aside from the obvious appearance of the planet, the Fadakan's don't look to be in a state of chaos. In fact, ever since Lance flew in closer he hasn't seen any movement from the aliens below. He figures they'd be running all over the place in hysterics if they knew their planet was being destroyed. His concern continues to grow as the team pulls closer to the ship. _Why is no one attacking us?_ he thinks. He can't be the only one to notice this, so he attempts to voice his opinion. "Guys, something feels off about this distress call." 

 

"Why would you think that?" Shiro asks, ever the vigilant leader. 

 

"I don't know but doesn't it seem weird that no one has attacked us and the Fadakan's aren't moving around down there?" 

 

Pidge speaks up this time. "The Galra probably just haven't noticed us yet. And the Fadakan's are all huddling in one building, probably waiting for us to extract them. It makes the most sense for them to stay still when they know help is on the way." 

 

Lance shrinks back in his seat. Obviously no one is going to hear him out. "Right, duh. That makes sense. Sorry." 

 

"Just keep your guard up anyway. Doesn't hurt to play it safe," Lance hears the red paladin say through the comms. Even if he doesn't believe Lance, at least Keith is attempting to get the team to remain vigilant. 

 

***

 

Keith can't concentrate on what to do next because Lance is lagging behind so much. He's curious as to why his teammate is so distracted, but now is not the time. Doesn't he realize they have an important mission to carry out? It could get dangerous really fast. That Galra ship was pretty large! It could be a serious threat if the... ion cannon... 

 

 _Wait a second!_ Keith thinks to himself. _Why hasn't anybody attacked us yet? With a ship that big you'd think there'd be tons of drones to fly after us or something._ It doesn't feel right to Keith. The red paladin scopes out the scene as best as he can but for the life of him he can't figure out what is bothering him so much. 

 

That's when he hears Lance's voice speak up, voicing concerns about the mission. Keith is inclined to agree with him over the comms when Shiro speaks up first, asking for clarification and evidence. His tone seems a little harsh, but maybe he is thinking about it too much. Lance replies as nonchalant as he normally would but Keith can tell he's holding back. When Pidge explains away his unease, Keith can almost hear Lance's heart break from the dismissal. The blue paladin seems to laugh it off like it's obvious that it isn't as bad as it looks, but Keith knows better. He's observed Lance for a couple months now and he knows the other boy isn't stupid. He thinks things through carefully, even more so than himself. Even more so than Shiro. But Keith trusts his team, so he doesn't go against their claims. All he can do is offer some sort of advice for the team, silently supporting Lance and hoping for the best. 

 

***

 

Shiro directs the others towards the ship, giving specific instruction to Pidge to disarm the alarm system and open the gates, which she just recently discovered how to do. In the mean time, Allura and Coran land the ship on one of the only solid parts of Fadaka. As the paladins approach the ship, the bay doors open and they are easily able to slip in, seemingly undetected. It was almost too easy. Over the comms Lance hears their leader ask them to leave their lions and activate their bayards. Lance was confused as to why they boarded the ship in the first place but apparently Allura let on that if they could get to the control room there may be a way to return the quintessence to the planet. She just wasn't expecting them to be able to get on the ship, especially not as easy as they did. And of course, Lance seemed like he was the only one freaking out about it. Even Hunk, big scaredy-cat Hunk, wasn't voicing any worries like usual. One glance to the red paladin, however, softened Lance's frustration. Confusion practically radiated from Keith's body; it seemed like he sensed something bad like he did.  

 

As the team starts to wander through the halls, Lance slowly slides over to Keith. Nervously he whispers, "You feel it too, right?" 

 

Keith visibly stiffens, but when Lance locks eyes with him, he shrugs back into his typical posture. "Feel what, Lance?" 

 

"That something isn't right here. Like not even that. Just something feels very, very wrong." 

 

"I mean, it definitely felt too easy, but it could be anything. I wouldn't think about it too much. We have a job to do," Keith replies. 

 

Lance stares at him, mouth opening slightly. His pace starts to slow and he falls back into place behind the group. He keeps his head down. What is there left to say? He obviously is alone in feeling this way. 

 

Shiro turns around a corner and a chill creeps up Lance's spine. Not because of the temperature but because he has this sense that whatever bad thing is gonna happen is about to present itself. 

 

He hears a loud clang and suddenly his vision is all white. He can't see a damn thing. He rubs at his eyes for several seconds and when he looks up he sees that his team is gone. He's all alone. 

 

Something was definitely not okay. 

 

***

 

There's no way they should have made it on the ship so easily. Absolutely no fucking way. It just didn't make sense. Keith activates his bayard as he exits Red, taking in his surroundings but not sensing any immediate danger. _What the hell is going on here?_  

 

Keith follows the team down hallway after hallway when he feels a presence at his shoulder. Bracing himself for an enemy he is thrown off when he hears the blue paladin's voice. "You feel it too, right?" 

 

Holy shit! This is the first time in a long time that Lance has been this close to Keith, whispering in his ear. He looks into his eyes, almost immediately turning away to hide his blush. He responds to his companion, stating that although it feels off he can't explain why. Or at least that's how he hopes it comes across. Apparently Lance didn't feel the same way because he slows down his pace to fall behind him again. 

 

Just as he turns to look back at Lance, he hears a banging sound from up ahead. He snaps his head back into the direction of his leader and is gifted with an enormous white light. It leaves him stunned for a solid five seconds. He blinks it away and as his eyes start to adjust he notices that he's not in the same place he just was. He's in what appears to be the control room of the ship. He shifts to look around and feels a twinge of pain in his arms, which he quickly realizes are bound behind his back. He spots Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk in similar positions around him. But there's no trace of Lance. 

 

A Galra turns from his position at the control panel and stalks toward their group. He opens his mouth to form a malicious grin as he says, "Silly paladins of Voltron. Thank you for hand delivering your lions to me. Emperor Zarkon will be most pleased indeed." 

 

Keith looks up at the alien before him. A fear he's never felt before renders him frozen in place. And all he can think of is where Lance could possibly be. 

 

Fuck. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More cliffhangers??? Oh noooooo! (Please don't kill me!!!)


End file.
